exploring with friends

Before the big move, we decided to go explore downtown one more time. This is going to be a picture friendly post, because lets face it, a picture is worth a thousand words :) First up was the farmers market. Fresh food, fresh flowers, and live music..glorious!

Next we went exploring...there were fountains, roads, bridges, and rail road tracks. Could there be any more fun?

well, there you have it. The last Saturday before the move.

moving :)

This girl is in a moving frenzy! I am moving classroom and houses. Currently our house is filled with boxes. Don’t get me wrong, it is pilled by room, labeled by room, and some are even color coded! I am THAT girl! Haha. On a totally different note, I am moving classrooms. Tomorrow I am spending all day doing my bulletin boards, organizing the huge boxes of materials I have been sent, and starting to set up!  I am starting on my classroom because we are not moving into our new house until we get home from the beach.

Yes, see that mess of a classroom. These are a few of the before photos, and that is not even showing the pictures of the stuff that I brought from my previous classroom. These would be the boxes of materials for my 8 students. Yep. You read that right. This mansion of a classroom (which I love) will house my 8 beauties and myself for the school year. At first, I didn’t spend a ton of money decorating and making my classroom “mine” however, I quickly realized that I spend more hours awake in my classroom then I do in my own home! So I still didn’t spend tons of money fixing it up, but I did spend tons of time, creativity, and hard work to make it super functional and super cute! I am sooo excited to share with you the finished products, because for this mansion of a room I have big plans. Stay tuned for “after photos” of my revamp. And if you think those are cool.. wait until you see my real home!

more before pictures:

I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to teach. I am even more thankful I have the opportunity to teach students that may not have a fighting chance in the general education classroom setting. Special ed is my passion, and those kids make EVERYTHING worth it. Even the hours spent on writing IEPS! People often ask me why I chose to go into teaching special ed. I have many, many, reasons, but the simplest way to answer is to just say because God called me to teach. Since he called me to teach he equipped me with the patience to do so, the creativity to think outside the box, and the skills to reach kids that some may think are “never going to learn” Come to my room and I will show you that EVERY kid can learn. Can you tell I LOVE what I do?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matt 25:40

The reason behind the name..

I grew up in a Christian home with the most amazing parents who taught me how to live life, how to love, and how to become a Christian. I learned at a young age how much they loved me, and more importantly how much the Lord does. (Thus the verse)

When I was sixteen years old I (along with four of my best friends, show above) started a group we called the grasshoppers.  Taken from Isaiah 40:22. We mentored a younger group of girls. Each of us had one or two girls that we spent time with, did bible studies with, and just loved on. This was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I love these girls more than they will ever know, and my best friends growing up truly help mold me into the person I am today by loving on me, encouraging me, and challenging me to be a better person, a stronger Christian, and a forgiving friend. When we started that group one of the verses we had the girls memorize was 1 John 3:1, and in my favorite translation to read (not to study) the verse says “How great is the LOVE the father has LAVISHED upon us that we can be called children of GOD. How pretty is that?!? I love it. I love the word lavished. Here are those said girlies all grown up...

Later, when I went to college my best friend and I (pictured above) became insanely close. If you know us you would know that we finish each other’s sentences,  we get mixed up in crowds, people mess up our names, we love the same things including but not limited to, the LORD, children, teaching, crafting, the color pink, cooking, decorating, ect. If you don't know us..then just take my word for it :) Anyway, our sophomore year of college we started doing devotionals together and one of the verses in our devotional was 1 John 3:1 again, the verse just struck me as one of the most beautiful verses. How awesome is it that the Lord lavishes his love on us, even though we are far from perfect? We sure are blessed.  

Now, I am married to one of the most amazing men on the planet. He is devoted, loving, faithful, and mine! He understands the word, and he preaches it well. God truly uses him daily to bless me and others. After proverbs 3: 5-6, this verse was one of the verses Jeff wrote me in a card. I love that man, and I love that he loves me.

Needless to say, I really like that particular verse…so why not name my blog after it.

Starting a blog..Whaaattt??

So, here goes nothing. I am starting a blog. I still can't believe I am doing this, and I can't believe you are reading this! My intention is for my family and friends to be able keep up with my crazy- ever-changing life as I start this new chapter. Some of them live allll the way in Texas! Here is just a little of what is going on lately in my life.Oh sweet summer time. Yeah, that time when as a teacher you relax and get ready for the next year , HA! Summer 2012 has been a crazy one.  My husband is the Pastor of a church in Roanoke (check out his awesome blog, I will add the link) Anyways, so we decided to move. I will admit, I was not crazy about the idea. I mean I was comfortable. I love the house we currently rent, I love living close to my parents and best friends, and I love/loved my job. I love being comfortable, don’t you?  More than I love being comfy, I love the Lord and my husband. So (eventually)  I embraced this move with all that is in me and I was able to witness the Lord move in crazy miraculous ways. I mean, I got a job teaching elementary (which I adore) annnddd an extra job working at a gym babysitting little kiddos  with my best friend. That would happen to be the same gym where my husband and I will get to work out for free (oh yes). I guess when we take a leap of faith God shows up BIG time. That is ever so evident in my life. Always. You see, although the move means a new house and a new job for me..I know God’s ways are wayyy better than mine. Proof?  I am excited to say that we bought the most adorable house.  I am stoked to show you how we spruce it up, there will of course be lots of pictures! Plus those two new jobs (I am reealllyyy going to miss my old one) because I worked with some of the most amazing people on the face of the planet. But I am excited about this new job too. I am have the pleasure of being an elementary special education teacher to the most precious 8 kids that I have been praying for since last month when I found out I could possibly be their teacher. I also think I am going to be able to be a better “pastors wife” because I am still really trying to learn that one. Pray for me.

 On a totally different note, the picture is from the beach trip we just finished. Did I mention we have been in our own house eleven nights this summer, Yeah…that’s because we have been super fun DINKS living up the summer! 

PS: here is that link! pastorjeffdickson.blogspot.com